If you enjoy fast food and bubble tea, you’re in luck. From the new offerings at KFC, to the bubble tea treats at BreadTalk (think bubble tea in the form of a bun!) and fruit teas at newly-opened TaiGai, we’ve got your fast food and sugar fix covered.

The popular Keisuke franchise has opened its 15th concept, and this time, it ain’t ramen: it’s gyu don! Chef Keisuke Takeda’s concept elevates the beloved Japanese soul food by using premium-cut beef, cooked in a special Sukiyaki sauce, and served with Koshihikari rice, Shimeji mushrooms, tofu braised in Sukiyaki sauce, Shirataki, and an assortment of sides: sesame tofu with Dashi Ankake sauce, an Onsen egg, hearty Miso soup, and unlimited picked veggies.

With just 14 seats, the space is certainly cosy, and the experience made even more intimate as dishes are prepared right in front of the guests. Diners can choose between two Beef Sukiyaki Dons: the signature premium Beef Sukiyaki Don (S$13.90++), which uses US Prime Beef; or the Kwami Wagyu Sukiyaki Don ($29.90++), topped with Yonezawa Beef A4, one of the culinary world’s top 3 Japanese Wagyu.

Hype or hit? Hit. Every element of our meal spelled pure decadence, from the melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu to the almost dessert-like sesame tofu. Given its limited seating capacity, we can anticipate long queues for this restaurant, so if you’re going to stand in line for an hour, you might as well go all-out and choose Wagyu.

TaiGai Fruity Milky Kiss Teas 20 Sep 2018

TaiGai Fruity Milky Kiss Teas

Address: 23 Serangoon Central, #B2-34, NEX, Singapore 556083

Amidst the crop of new bubble tea shops, Chinese franchise TaiGai touts itself as the creator of the “Fruity Milky Kiss” – that is, fruit-blended cheese tea with a savoury, snowy topping. On a sunny weekend afternoon last week, we stopped by NEX to pick up two of the shop’s signature drinks: the Pulpy Strawberry Kiss ($6.80) and the Pulpy Pineapple Kiss ($6.20). So how did these summery drinks fare?

Pulpy Strawberry Kiss ($6.80)

This drink, which is made of fresh strawberries blended with jasmine green tea, was starred on the menu, so obviously we had to order it.

Hype or hit? Unpopular opinion, but hype. As impressed as we were with the amount of strawberries that went into this drink, it got cloyingly sweet after halfway through and made us feel as if we were sipping on watery jam.

Pulpy Pineapple Kiss ($6.20)

We’ll admit to ordering this one purely for the novelty, as we rarely see pineapple on the menus of bubble tea chains. Unlike the overly sweet strawberry tea, this was refreshing through and through, and went down surprisingly easily.

Hype or hit? Hit. We fully expected this to remind us of Hawaiian pizza, but this rendition of pineapple-meets-dairy was infinitely less offensive.

Verdict: Overall, a tasty alternative to fruit-blended teas with artificial flavouring. In between the creaminess of the cheese crown and the pulpiness of the fruit, we’re inclined to count these as more of a dessert than a beverage, but we’re not complaining.

Curry Times’ Salted Egg Curry Chicken Rice20 Sep 2018

Curry Times’ Salted Egg Curry Chicken Rice

The salted egg trend is still going strong, Curry Times’ take incorporates curry to make it extra potent. Thankfully, every plate ordered comes with a complimentary glass of winter melon drink, which you’ll need to wash down the almost stew-like sauce. We also appreciated how the bits of chili cut through the decadence to make it palatable.

Hype or hit: Hit. Or should we say, heaty. As delicious as this dish is, you’ll need a couple bottles of liang teh on hand to recover afterward.

$10.90, available at all Curry Times outlets until 31 October.

BreadTalk’s Taste of Taiwan collection26 Sep 2018

BreadTalk’s Taste of Taiwan collection

You’ve probably drunk your fair share of bubble tea but now BreadTalk wants you to eat it too. Tea-riffic treats like earl grey bubble tea bun, toast and rolls, as well as snacks inspired by Taiwanese street food are some of the new buns in the ovens at the bakery this month.

Earl Grey Bubble Tea Roll ($8.50)

The deliciously moist and pillowy Swiss roll is filled with a fluffy swirl of light earl grey tea cream and pearls to give a nice balance of flavours and textures.

Hype or hit? Hit. The roll wasn’t overly sweet and had a nice cake-to-cream ratio, though we would have preferred chewier pearls.

Earl Grey Bubble Tea Bun ($1.90)

The bun, on the other hand, was a letdown. Despite being baked with an earl grey tea infused dough and filled with earl grey tea infused cream, the taste was almost non-existent. We also did not appreciate that all the filling was concentrated on one half of the bun.

Hype or hit? We felt like we were eating a plain bun. Pass.

BreadTalk’s Taste of Taiwan collection26 Sep 2018

BreadTalk’s Taste of Taiwan collection

Pepper Bun ($1.90)

A chewy French dough pastry pocket filled with perfectly spiced minced pork and spring onions, and seasoned with a good dose of white pepper.

Hype or hit? Hit. Fragrant and savoury with a peppery kick, this is a must for hujiaobing lovers. Extra points for the pronounced but not overpowering taste of spring onions.

Verdict: Some hits and misses, but a decent alternative if you are craving Taiwanese street food.

As if KFC’s offerings weren’t sinful enough, they had to release these duo of yumminess. The Tori Katsu Burger contains a juicy chicken fillet coated in deep-fried breadcrumbs and topped with Japanese white shredded cabbage, Katsu sauce, and mayonnaise. Meanwhile, the Bonito Fries – golden fries nestled beneath a generous heap of Bonito flakes drizzled with Katsu sauce and mayonnaise are so delicious, they almost outshine the entrée.

Hype or hit: If you’ve had Mos Burger’s katsu burgers, then KFC’s won’t make much of an impression (except for that it’s bigger than we remember Mos’ being). At the very least, you’ll hear a satisfying crunch when you bite into it, but we recommend ordering this when dining in, as a long delivery period might compromise the texture. As for the Bonito Fries, well, fries are so perfect to begin with that it’s hard to really improve on them, but we appreciated the ocean-y taste of this addictive side dish. HIT.

If you enjoy the tango of sweet, salty, and creamy flavours, then you’ll adore Häagen-Dazs’ indulgent new ice cream. Every bite of their Peanut Butter Crunch ice cream contains bits of caramelised nut pieces alongside chunks of frozen peanut butter. Suffice to say, we were addicted after first bite.

Hype or hit: HIT. Only a peanut allergy could keep us away from this for too long.